RESPONSE TO HIGHER SEDIMENT LOADS BY POCILLOPORA-DAMICORNIS PLANULAE

Planulae collected from the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis were exposed to four different levels of sediment (0, 10, 100, 1000 mg l-1) for 14 days under two contrasting water agitation levels (aerated vs. non-aerated). There was no significant difference in larval settlement among the various sediment treatments and between agitation levels used in this study. However, a significant number of settled planulae underwent reversed metamorphosis ("polyp bail-out") in the 100 and 1000 mg l-1 treatments of both water aeration regimes indicating conditions were not appropriate for continued development and growth. Data suggested that successful recruitment may be limited in areas with greater than normal sediment loads.